Process for thermal water purification.



four/Va f? r -v H. P. HODGES. 'PEOGESS FOR THERMAL WATER PURIFIGATION.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 25, 1912.

1,060,991 g Patented May 6, 1913.

2 SKEBTS-SHEET 1.

\ I I [5- JNVENTOR E Ha /ace f/yoages K Ahomey H. F. HODGES.

PROCESS FOR THERMAL WATER PURIFICATION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1912.

- 1,060,901. Patented May 6,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

{VI T NEISSES INVENTOR q l I florace [HOG/'66 y 44Wi I A Hon/(y nrrnns'ra rss arana curios.

HORACE F. HODGES, OF PHILADELPHIA, IEENNS'YLVANIA.

PROCESS FOR THERMAL \VATER PURIFICATION. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented hlay 6, 1913.

Application filed June 25, 1912. Serial No. 705,714

, To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, Homer F. Honors acitizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia. in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Processes for Thermal Water lurification,

of which the following is a specification.

In the distillation of water by processes and apparatus such, forinstance, as setforth in the Patents Nos. 798.901, 798,964, 799,002

I and 799,003, granted in part tome ascoinventor, it is very desirablethat the impurities, and especially the mineralimpurities,

such as the carbonates and sulfates ofthe alkaline earths and othersalts, be eliminated by a preliminary purification, soas voidprecipitatingthese lIHPlIl'lIlQS in the tillf'and fouling its condensingsurfaces with scale.

present invention is designed to provide a process for eliminating theseimpuri: ties from the water before being admitted to the still, and itproceeds'along the known physical. conditions of precipitation whichcharactenze these two different roups of chemical substances; that is tosay, Hi gen-- {51 first stage team in the heating and precip1- method ofpurifying. by thermal precipitation in which the soluble'mineralimpurities are converted by heat into insoluble forms whichare-precipitated or thrown down and thus eliminated. The purpose in mindis to so apply the heat to the water that the resulting precipitatecannot impair the etliciency of the apparatus by tche format-ionof scaleon heat conducting surfaces, would be the case with a coil or otherarrangement without my invention.

My invention provides a process for the continuous purification of waterand elimination of gases while in transit and one designed to'rneet thedifferent conditions under which the carbonates and sulfates areeliminated as regards the peculiar chemical and oral terms, my processcomprises the treatment of the water to be purified by subjecting it toheat and pressure in two different stages of heat and pressure, 2'. 6.,a relatively low temperature andpressure to precipitate the carbonates,and a second higher temperature and pressure to precipitate thesulfates,

and providing also means for economically and hutomatically reducing thetemperature and pressure. before turning the purified water into thestill and also for returning the disengaged steam to the apparatus ofthe enlarged sectional detail of the upper part of the ap aratus.

In the rawing A is a container in which the precipitation of thealkaline carbonates in the first stage of the operation is carried out,and A a similar container in which the precipitation of the alkalinesulfates in the second stage of the operation is carried out.

These containers are preferably upright closed cylinders of boiler iron,having tapering bottoms and blow-oft or discharge pipes with valves aand a in said bottoms by which the precipitated sediment is removed, andalso removable plates a acting as manholes. These containers are held inupright suspended position by any suitable means. preferably flangedplates 79, Fig. 2, riveted to the sides of the container on each sideand resting upon side walls or horizontal ;I-beams Z.

D is a force pump which takes the par taally purified water from thefirst container A and forces itinto the other container A,

where it is treated at a higher temperature and pressure, and T is anexpansion tank which receives the purified water from, the

container A and, through pressure regulating reducing valves and floatvalve here.

,after described reduces the pressure, cools the purified water withoutcontact with the air and WltllOUlL'tI surface condenser, or'surfacesliable to be incrusted with scale, and

passes disengaged steam of low pressure to the first container, as willbe more fully described hereafter. The two containers are builtsubstantially alike; Each has suspended in ita pendent cylinder 13 and Bsupported concentrically within the same from the top of the containerby means of a flanged collar 3; and b the opening in the top of thecontainer being larger than the diameter of cylinders B, B, for thepurpose hereafter described, and said cylinders rising above andprotruding from the top of 100 pounds to QO'pounds and the tempera-'ture falls from 300 in container A 'to 260 "introduce it to the still,and the disengaged steam passes from tank 1 through pipe Ito the pipe Y,where it mi'ngles with and supplements the low pressure waste steampassing frornthe still into the first container. To bring this steamfrom tank T down from pounds to the lower pressure of 2 pounds employedin pipe Y, a reducin'gvalve G is placed an the pipe I, which .is ofsubstantially the same construction as that shown at P in Figs. 1 and.3.=The cooled and purified water, relieved now ofthe scaleproducingconstituents of both' the carbonate and 's'ulfate class, isthen taken throu h pipe S and tank T and carried to the sti l,whereit'is further urified by distillation according to the met od of.the patents hereinbefore named, or used for any other purpose towbi'cliit may bezdesiredto ut it. s

" Incident to the chemica changes which take place in the precipitationof the impuritiesfthere'will be disengaged certain corro 'sive gases,notably carbon dioxid, which willaccumulate in. the top of thecontainers and cylinders. The principal portion .of these will be foundin the cylinders B and B and their automatic vent or discharge isefiected by a float valve M,- see Fig. 4, which opens and discharges thegases whenever they accumulate sufiiciently to force down the level ofthe waterin the top of the'cylinders, the valve closing automaticallywhen the gases escape and the float rises again. It Wlll be seen thatthe automatically discharging gas valve M is in the top of thecentral-cylinder or mixing tube, B or B and its location here isimportant, for the reason that when the hot steam comes into therelatively small cylinder of limited-cross section the maximum heat isconfined to the small area of the cylinder and the principal separationof the gases is made to take place here immediately and be easily andautomatically vented before it ets into the larger area of .the outersettling container where it would be 1 liable to be reabsorbed and moretroublesome to eliminate and would be liable also to interfere with theaction of the circulating pump. For such gases as accnmulatein tihe topof the containers-*ethese may be disF charged from time" to time by avalved vent pipe N, or an automatic valve-,M, if desired.

In my invention it will'be seenthat the water is purified continuouslyin transit; that is to say, in the cylinders B and B ythe temperaturesare adjusted to the precipitation of the two principal impurities, the

carbonates and the sulfates, and as the water rises on the exterior ofthe cylinders B and B in the far greater cross section of the containersA and A the movement is rendered so slow that time for completesubsidence of the precipitated impurities is allowed, so that theprocess is continuously and consecutively carried on in a practical andefiicient manner.

, One of the advantages of my invention, in addition to those alreadynamed, is that the high temperature-and. pressure in the secondcontainer perfectly sterilizesthe water of all germs, the-value of whichis obvious. I

The-advantage of making the opening in the top of the container largerthan the depending cylinder, and supporting the same by a collar b or 6is that it permitsthe easy removal of the cylinders for cleaningpurposes, if any incrustation is deposited on its sides, and italsoserves as amanhole for enterlng and cleaning the container and cylmder,as do also the detachable bottoms a I'do not claim broadly. theprecipitation of the salts of thealkaline earths by heat, as I am awarethat this'general principle is old and well known. I, furthermore, do.not in this case'claim the apparatus herein shown-and described, as thesame has been imade the subject-matter of another subse- 2 uent-application,-filed February 18, 1913, erial No. 749,114. v Iclaim:

1. The process of continuously purifying water by thermalpreeipitation,which consistsin elevatin its temperature, within a central zone, ofimited cross section, automatically venting the gases from the top ofthis linnted zone, continuously moving the water first downwardly inthis limited zone and then upwardly in a surrounding zone of largercross section'to allow time and sufilcieilt quiescence for subsidence ofthe precipitate and removing the precipitated sediment from the bottomof both zones.

.2. The process of continuously purifying water by thermalprecipitation, which *consists in introducing steam directly into acentral zone of water of limited cross section, automatically ventingthe gases from the top of this limited zone, continuously moving thewater first downwardly in this limited zone and then upwardly in-asurrounding'zone of larger cross section to allow time and suflicientquiescence for subsidencc of the precipitate, and removing the\pi'ecipitatbd-sediment from the bottom of.

botlrzones. v

3. A -thermal water purifying process, comprising the treatment of waterby heat in two stages of temperature and pressure,

'the second -stage being a higher one to precipitate the sulfates, thenreducing autofis matically in continuous operation the tem- I peratun;and pressure by evaporation Within a closed chamber.

4-. A thermal water purifying" process, coinprisii'ig the treatment ofthe water by steam in two stages of temperature and pressure, the firststage being a relatively .low one sutlicient to precipitate thecarbonates and the secondstage being a higher one as to temperature andpressure to precipitate the sulfates, then reducing automatically thetemperature and pressure, drawing oif the purified water and returningthe surplus steam to .the treatment of the water in the first stage. z5. A thermal water purifying process, comprising the treatment of thewater by steam in two stages of temperature and pressure, the firststage being a relatively low one sutfieient to precipitate thecarbonates, and-the second stage being a higher one as to temperatureand pressure to precipitate the sulfates, drawing ofi automati- 'cally'the liberated gases, then r'educingautomati'callythe .tem eratureand pressure of 'jthe "second stage,

rawing ofi the purified water "and returnlng the surplus steam to thetreatment of the water m-the first stage.

:6. A thermal water purifying process, comprising theftreatntent of thewater by steam 111. two stages of temperature and I pressure,- the firststage being arelatively low". one sufficient to precipitate thecarbonates and the second stage being a higher one as to temperature andpressure to precipitate the sulfates, then reducing autoother vessel andmaintaining it at a higher,

pressure, introducing live steam ata relatively high temperature andpressure to precipitate the sulfates, automatically: reducing thetemperature and ressure by the direct evaporation of the highly heatedwater within a confined space through thev agency of- .pressure reducingand levelregulating valves, drawing ofi the purified water an returning.the newly evaporated steam of lower pressure to the treatment of thewater in the first stage.

y In testimony whereof I' afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses. 1

HORACE F; HODGES.

Witnesses: JOHN H. DUVAL,

JOHN L. FLETCHER.

